A Night Gone Wrong
by Atkar
Summary: Weiss leaves the cinema to discover the city in chaos after the events of the election result. Upon hearing that something happened at the election party, Weiss worries about Ruby. Set immediately after Volume 7 Episode 6.


"So, what did you think?" asked Jaune, throwing the empty popcorn bag into a nearby bin. "I thought it was so cool when…"

Weiss decided to tune out the enthusiastic re-enactments and animated discussions on a subpar movie with a roll of her eyes. She walked beside Oscar and Jaune as they talked, only really half paying attention to where they were going next when she spotted something outside the cinema through the windows.

"Weiss? What's wrong?" she heard Jaune ask her, but he too fell silent on seeing the face portrayed on the large screen outside.

The screen was smashed but the results of the election remained clear: her father had won. Weiss twisted her lips, ripping her eyes away but pausing once more when she noticed that people were _running_.

"Another riot?" she mumbled, hand on hip as they exited the cinema. The sound of the screams hit them first, ringing with fear and pain, and the feeling of something very, _very_ wrong slammed against them second.

"Grimm!" Oscar called out, pointing at the far end of the street.

Jaune and Weiss followed Oscar's sightline to see Grimm chasing after escaping citizens – sabyrs clawing at legs and biting at those who tripped before them. Could her father winning the election really cause this much negativity so quickly?

"We have to help them!" Jaune exclaimed, but Weiss grasped empty air at her hip, Myrtenaster safely tucked away back in Atlas Academy.

A man shoved past her, blood staining his shirt and terror widening his eyes. She grabbed his arm, ignoring the cry he gave and the wild struggle against her hold. "What happened?!"

The man focused on her, his entire body shaking. "Robyn Hill's election party! It was a massacre!"

Weiss didn't hear his words after that, didn't even feel him tug his arm away, didn't even notice Oscar talking to her. _Robyn Hill's election party? But that's… _

"Weiss!"

She snapped her head around, Oscar pulling on her arm to follow Jaune who was yelling for the scared people of Mantle to go to safety, leading them farther away from the dark Grimm growling at their heels.

It took her a second to realize they were heading the wrong way.

"What are you doing?" Jaune shouted as she spun, already preparing to turn at the next junction.

"The party," was all she said, and she saw the panic in Jaune's eyes, the desperate pleading that the world wouldn't take the rest of his team away. "You keep the people safe and I'll find our teammates."

A moment's hesitation before both of the boys nodded, returning their attention to helping people escape the Grimm. Weiss bolted around the corner, sprinting down the pavement, hating the loud click of her heels that seemed more like a ticking clock counting down to something terrible.

_There!_ She slowed, the flashing lights of an ambulance decorating the pained and deathly pale faces dotted outside the building. The signs cheering for Robyn Hill and her success lay abandoned, people now more concerned with getting the injured out and…

Weiss froze. Dead bodies lay scattered across the floor within the building, the stage above it all empty save for a pool of blood. _A massacre_, the man had called it and Weiss found no better term. She stepped back outside, gaze flitting from one face to the next, searching for one she recognized. No one bothered to spare her a glance and if they did, there was only a glimmer of hatred before they returned to tending their wounds.

"Where are you, you dolt?" she mumbled, finding no Nora, no Ren, and no Ruby. She didn't even see Penny, the Protector of Mantle, who was _supposed_ to be security tonight.

The ricochet of gunshots and the angered cries of Grimm led her behind the building, the screams and sirens almost deafening. Soldiers were shooting at the swooping manticores, further reinforcements pilling out of a truck at the end of the street, and stood beside it, taking Crescent Rose carefully in hand from a soldier, was Ruby.

Weiss charged forwards, catching a glimpse of Ren fighting down a group of sabyrs along with Nora swinging Magnhild with a concentrated fervour.

"Ruby!"

The red cape fluttered as the girl turned around, something odd in her eyes before her expression relaxed into that tempered 'leader Ruby' face she wore more often than not these days. She seemed one beat away from releasing Crescent Rose and joining their friends, a tight smile at Weiss the only thing holding her back.

Weiss gasped for breath, scanning Ruby over as she regained some manner of dignity. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She casually waved Weiss off, that strange glimmer in Ruby's silver eyes the only hint that the girl was anything but fine.

"Is that blood?" Weiss snatched Ruby's hand, glaring at the crimson stain on her glove before trying to find the source over the girl's body. _Surely her aura would have..._ "Are you hurt?"

"It's not my blood," Ruby told her, her voice weak and distracted. Then the mask returned. "The Grimm…"

"Ruby, what happened?"

The girl's jaw tensed, silver gaze roaming the street and never stopping on Weiss. "Jacques won the election."

"I know that." Weiss still had hold of Ruby's hand and she laced their fingers together.

Ruby immediately tried to pull away. "Your dress – the blood…"

Weiss tightened her grip, unflinching as she felt the still warm and wet blood against her own hand.

Ruby paused, swallowing audibly, clearly uncomfortable yet still stubbornly attempting to hide it. "The party was attacked and they're blaming it on Penny." She shook her head. "It wasn't Penny, it wasn't."

"I believe you." She had no reason not to.

Silver eyes shone, finally looking at Weiss with a tortured glistening of tears. "I couldn't do anything. And now the Grimm…and Robyn, and Tyrian, and Penny, and _everything_."

A soldier bustled past them, roughly reloading his gun before taking aim at a Grimm ten feet away from the truck.

"I-I have to fight," mumbled Ruby, pulling away.

Weiss didn't let go. "They can deal with it."

"But Weiss-"

"They can cope without you for _five_ minutes." Weiss gritted her teeth, inhaling long and hard before closing the distance between them in one fluid step. She rested her forehead against Ruby's and she heard the dolt stutter and bumble over her words, the young girl she remembered overruling the strong leader for just a moment. "Be quiet," she whispered, her tone gentle.

Ruby shut her mouth, her eyes wide before they suddenly pooled with tears, silently falling down her cheeks. "I couldn't do anything…"

Weiss brushed her free hand through the girl's dark hair, pretending not to notice her trembling shoulders and the death grip she now had on her fingers. "Remember what you told me?" she asked softly.

Ruby hummed a flat note through her tears, her brow furrowing questioningly.

"You said that team RWBY wouldn't leave my side for one second. Do you think we wouldn't stay by _your _side in return?" Ruby's lips parted, a likely stupid complaint about to pass between them, but Weiss lifted her forehead away, her hand still in the girl's hair, and spoke before she could be interrupted. "I told you I'd be the best partner ever and we _all _trust your leadership, but you don't have to carry everything on your own!"

Ruby shook her head and Weiss felt a flare of frustration, detaching herself from Ruby's fingers to flick the girl's nose.

Ruby winced, holding her nose with a wounded look of indignation. _A kicked puppy…_

"You _don't _have to handle everything by yourself, Ruby. I'm your partner, your team…your friend!"

The girl blinked, tears threatening to spill over again. "I'm not okay, Weiss," she said in such a low voice Weiss wasn't even sure she heard it. "I'm really not."

"There you go…" Weiss murmured, pulling the girl into a tight hug, the warmth of Ruby's body against her own almost like fitting two puzzle pieces together.

"Ma'am…" a voice awkwardly coughed beside them and Weiss looked up to see a soldier holding out Myrtenaster. "A Jaune Arc said you'd be needing this."

Weiss gracefully took the rapier, the chamber revolving effortlessly at her touch. "Are you ready?" she asked Ruby with a small smile.

Crescent Rose unfurled beside her, the wielder's silver eyes sparking with fierce confidence despite the unshed tears still shining in the moonlight. "Whenever you are, Weiss."


End file.
